Scientists demonstrate an optical trapping technique using nanotextured black silicon that can efficiently trap polymer chains. By adjusting the laser intensity, these 'optical tweezers' can control the florescence color emitted through a local concentration of a perylene-modified polymer solution. From a low intensity blue to high intensity orange, this reversible and fully remote technology can...

Labelling of plastic products needs a drastic overhaul including a new 'sustainability scale' to help consumers, researchers say.

A new, highly sensitive system for detecting the production of hydrogen gas may play an important role in the quest to develop hydrogen as an environmentally friendly and economical alternative to fossil fuels.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, can create custom parts for electromagnetic devices on-demand and at a low cost. These devices are highly sensitive, and each component requires precise fabrication. Until recently, though, the only way to diagnose printing errors was to make, measure and test a device or to use in-line simulation, both of which are computationally expensive and inefficient....

A clinical trial has shown that the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab increased survival rates for head and neck cancer patients with intermediate risk.

Researchers from two independent research teams have discovered how the mislocalization of a protein, known as TDP-43, alters the genetic instructions for UNC13A, providing a possible therapeutic target that could also have implications in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other forms of dementia. ALS and FTD are two neurodegenerative disorders in...

A team of researchers is developing tools to predict the features of life as we don't know it.

Physicists have experimentally observed a quirky behavior of the quantum world: a 'quantum boomerang' effect that occurs when particles in a disordered system are kicked out of their locations. Instead of landing elsewhere as one might expect, they turn around and come back to where they started and stop there.

Researchers recently announced a major theoretical and experimental breakthrough that allows scientists to predict, with an unprecedented precision, when a soft material will crack and fail. The findings have immediate implications for the engineering and manufacture of a wide range of polymers. They also provide insights into how natural soft materials -- such as the connective tissues in our...

A new article describes the approach, structure, and launch of the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial- the first platform trial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) designed to accelerate the development of effective and breakthrough treatments for people with the illness.

An unnoticed network of channels is cutting across the coastal plain landscape along the Gulf Coast and influencing how water flows, according to new research that could help predict flooding from major storms in the future.

Atmospheric chemists have found that the smoke from Australia's 'Black Summer' wildfires set off chemical reactions in the stratosphere that contributed to the destruction of ozone. The study is the first to establish a chemical link between wildfire smoke and ozone depletion.

Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

People who are more physically fit are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than people who are less physically fit, according to a preliminary study.

A new study tracked lithium metal deposition and removal from a battery anode while it was cycling to find clues as to how failure occurs. The research could help improve the use of pure lithium metal in anodes for electric vehicle batteries, which would reduce battery weights and dramatically extend driving range.

A team has revamped the popular crop growth simulation software BioCro, making it a more user-friendly and efficient way to predict crop yield. The updated version, BioCro II, allows modelers to use the technology much more easily and includes faster and more accurate algorithms.

The innate immune system plays a crucial role in regulating host-microbe interactions, and especially in providing protection against pathogens that invade the mucosa. Using an intestinal infection model, scientists discovered that innate effector cells -- group 3 innate lymphoid cells -- act not only during the early stages of infection but can also be trained to develop an innate form of...

Researchers report that lab tests of a new metasurface-based antenna that can harvest 100 microwatts of power, enough to power simple devices, from low power radio waves. This represents an important step toward making it practical to harvest energy from radio waves, such as the ones used in cell phone networks or Bluetooth connections.

Researchers have developed a technology, heteroduplex oligonucleotide (HDO), that silences certain genes whose high expression levels fuel disease. Adding a specific molecular tag allowed them to target the HDO to immune cells called lymphocytes safely and efficiently. Doing so with an HDO specific to a gene called Itga4 improved symptoms in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, suggesting this...

The largest study to date has confirmed the link between the gut microbiome and the response to cancer immunotherapy therapy for melanoma.

The ability of rice plants to modify their root systems to adapt to the surrounding soil water conditions is a great example of a phenomenon called phenotype plasticity. However, the exact mechanism behind this remained unknown. Now researchers have determined the role of two WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) genes in controlling the root primordium size in lateral roots.

Researchers discovered that a brief 15-minute walk in a hot outdoor environment impairs cognitive function. Moreover, this effect was most pronounced in sleep-deprived men and could negatively impact the productivity and learning of workers and students in urban cities in the summer months.

Many people have to take statins to lower their cholesterol levels. But statins may be able to do even more: Researchers report that these drugs inhibit a gene that promotes cancer cell metastasis.

Computer chips and storage elements are expected to function as quickly as possible and be energy-saving at the same time. Innovative spintronic modules are at an advantage here thanks to their high speed and efficiency, as there is no lossy electrical current, rather the electrons couple with one another magnetically -- like a series of tiny magnetic needles which interact with almost no friction...